There are many things you need to do in your life and daily routines to stay fit and healthy, and they’re all going to be important, which can make the whole thing feel very overwhelming. However, the fact is that there are some tricks you can use to make it all a lot less stressful, and one of those ‘tricks’ is to focus on your heart health. After all, if your heart is healthy, a lot of your other organs and processes will be healthy, too – your heart is the core of everything in your body.
With that in mind, here are some ways to keep your heart healthy that you can start putting into practice today. Read on to find out more.
Try A Vegan Lifestyle
Although many different things can cause your heart to be less healthy than it should be, one of the biggest – and perhaps the easiest to understand – is your diet. The more processed food you eat, the more food you consume that contains a lot of sugar, salt, grease, and saturated fats, the worse it is because your heart has to fight through all of that, meaning it works harder and, in the end, wears out more quickly.
That’s why, if you want to keep your heart healthy, the first thing to do is look at your diet and make some changes if it’s not ideal. One thing that can work is to try a vegan diet, as that contains plenty of things that will keep your heart healthy, including vitamins and minerals. If switching to an entirely plant-based diet won’t work for you, why not make smaller changes, like having one or two meat-free days a week or trying MYOM oat milk instead of cow’s milk? Even the smallest changes can do some good.
Stay Active
Another thing that’s going to help keep your heart healthy is if you stay active, and try to incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine. Studies have shown that around 150 minutes of medium-intensity exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise) a week can significantly affect your heart is health. Although that might seem like a lot, when you break it down over the entire week, it’s not all that much, really.
Plus, you don’t have to go to the gym to get this kind of exercise into your life because things like swimming, running, a brisk walk, cycling, or even dancing can all work for you. The key is to find something you enjoy and make it a habit, and your heart will become healthier (plus, you’ll lose weight and be generally fitter, so it’s a good idea all around).
Manage Stress
Sometimes, no matter what other positive things you’re doing to keep your heart healthy, stress can undo it all and make you unhealthy both physically and mentally. When you’re stressed, your blood pressure rises, and your body produces more cortisol (the stress hormone) than usual, meaning you’re always on edge and can’t ever fully relax.
That’s why it’s so important to manage your stress as well as possible, even though it’s hard. You can try different things like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, going out in nature, taking a nap, reading a book, listening to music, or doing a hobby. However, in some cases the best thing to do is to tackle the issue head-on and/or see a therapist for some advice – make sure you get help if you need it, and your heart will become healthier as a result.
